Display device for sandals



March 22, 1966 M. WALTERS 3,241,163

DISPLAY DEVICE FOR SANDALS Filed April '7, 1964 /5 /2 Fla 4 /0 nnnnunnnnnnnnnnn. 32? l\ "mmmunmlmm /7 /5 /2 9 /0 /0A 23 //A m4 INVENTOR MA X WAL TE R5 BY Q7 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,241,163 DISPLAY DEVICE FOR SANDALS Max Waiters, Union, NJ. (20340 NE. 20th Court, North Miami Beach, Fla.) Filed Apr. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 357,934 3 Claims. (Cl. 12-1) This invention relates to a display device for certain styles of shoes, and especially for sandals.

Some styles of shoes, especially the type of shoe called sandals, include different forms or dispositions of straps, such as thong, instep, ankle, T, criss cross, and cantilever straps, and modifications of such straps known as shoe strings or ties. Such straps either sag, or fall completely, from their normal or Wearing positions when the shoes are on display, and therefore do not present their artistic wearing appearance, which it is important that they have at their point of sale. To hold the straps in proper position, the present invention provides a support which is simple and economical, and which may be placed in any needed position, as vertical, horizontal or oblique. It is also adjustable in length to meet requirements of the different lengths and positions of the straps of different designs and sandal sizes.

The device may consist of one unit or of two or more units joined together. The unit itself comprises two members threadedly connected for precise length adjustment. In use, one end of the device bears against a strap of the sandal and the other end bears against an opposing portion of the sandal, and for this purpose one or both ends of the device may be made frictional to insure that it will not slip out of place, as by providing a point, an edge, or a roughened surface.

The drawings illustrate the invention, and in these:

FIG. 1 is a plan View of the basic unit;

FIG. 2 is an end view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the unit of FIG. 1 to which a threaded pin is added;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a modification of FIG. 3 to obtain a still longer device;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a sandal, showing the straps thereof held in normal wearing position by the device of the invention, the device being in broken lines; and

FIG. 6 is a rear view of FIG. 5.

Referring to the drawings for a detailed description, FIG. 1 shows one form of the invention as comprising a cylindrical tube 9. The tube has internal threads 10 and 11 in its end portions, and its ends each have a pair of opposed notches 12, thereby forming, therebetween, opposed teeth 13 for a purpose mentioned below. An externally threaded pin 15 is inserted in the tube, engaging threads 11. The pin is therefore adjustable to provide the desired overall length of the device, such length being such that the device exerts adequate pressure against opposed parts of a sandal. The pin may be pointed at its outer end 17 as frictional means to in sure non-slip contact with a part of a sandal. The edges of the free end of tube 9 also act as frictional means when in contact with part of a sandal, and the notches may accommodate thin, round straps.

To lengthen the device of FIG. 1 when needed, it is only necessary to insert a pin 19 in the other end of tube 9, as shown in FIG. 3. Pin 19 is externally threaded and engages threads 10, and has a pointed outer end 20, and is adjustable lengthwise in the tube.

FIG. 4 shows how the device may be further lengthened. This is accomplished by oppositely joining endwise two of the FIG. 1 devices, or units, with a threaded pin 23, similar to pins 15 and 19, extending partly into each of the joined tubes, to hold them together, pin 23 threadedly engaging the adjacent threads 10 and 10 A within the adjoined tubes. The tube and pin of the added unit are respectively designated 9 A and 15 A, and the threads 10 A and 11 A.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a sandal 30 as having a sole 31, an instep strap 32, and a thong 33 which goes between toes and is anchored in the sole. The strap and thong are shown held up in wearing position, when the sandal is on display, by the form of the device shown in FIG. 3, the pointed ends of the pins 15 and 19 engaging respectively the strap 32 and the sole. The pointed ends are advantageous, but are not essential, as the pins are so adjusted in the tube that they exert pressure against the strap and sole and so are held in place thereby. When the single unit of FIG. 1 is used, the notched end at the right of FIG. 1 is also adequate as having enough friction, the pin being so adjusted that the device exerts pressure against the sole and the strap. The forms of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 are used in the same manner as that of FIG. 3 and the use of the device with other designs of sandal straps will be evident.

What is claimed is:

1. In a display device for shoes, said shoes having a centrally located strap with ends thereof fixedly secured to the main body of the shoe to form a loop for receiving the instep of the foot, the strap being flexible and adapted, when the shoe is Worn, to have its apex above and centrally located with respect to the sole of the shoe, the combination with the shoe of a strap supporting device having a longitudinally extending main body member having longitudinally extending screw threaded recesses at the ends thereof, an adjustable sole engaging member screw threaded into one of said main body member recesses, said adjustable sole engaging member having its free end operative to engage the sole of the shoe, and an adjustable strap engaging member screw threaded into the other of said main body member recesses, said adjustable strap engaging member having its free end operative to engage the strap of the shoe at the apex of the loop.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said adjustable sole engaging member has a pointed free end for engaging the sole of the foot and said adjustable strap engaging member has a pointed free end for engaging the strap of the shoe.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said longitudinally extending main body member is tubular in shape and has recesses of equal diameter, and a second longitudinally extending main body member having screw threaded recesses at the ends thereof similar to said first mentioned longitudnally extending main body, said second main body having one of its recesses screw threaded into ena gagement with one of said adjustable engaging members to extend the length of the strap supporting device.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 311,716 2/1885 Beecher et a1. 446,480 2/1891 Stebbins. 1,382,505 6/1921 Hargey 248354 X 1,723,970 8/1929 Jauch.

2,777,216 1/ 1957 Norman 22366 X 3,076,984 2/1963 Walters 12-1 FOREIGN PATENTS 276,348 2/ 1928 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

A. R. GUEST, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A DISPLAY DEVICE FOR SHOES, SAID SHOES HAVING A CENTRALLY LOCATED STRAP WITH ENDS THEREOF FIXEDLY SECURED TO THE MAIN BODY OF THE SHOE TO FORM A LOOP FOR RECEIVING THE INSTEP OF THE FOOT, THE STRAP BEING FLEXIBLE AND ADAPTED, WHEN THE SHOP IS WORN, TO HAVE ITS APEX ABOVE AND CENTRALLY LOCATED WITH RESPECT TO THE SOLE OF THE SHOE, THE COMBINATION WITH THE SHOE OF A STRAP SUPPORTING DEVICE HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING MAIN BODY MEMBER HAVING LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SCREW THREADED RECESSES AT THE ENDS THEREOF, AN ADJUSTABLE SOLE ENGAGING MEMBER SCREW THREADED INTO ONE OF SAID MAIN BODY MEMBER RECESSES, SAID ADJUSTABLE SOLE ENGAGING MEMBER HAVING ITS FREE END OPERATIVE TO ENAGE THE SOLE OF THE SHOE, AND AN ADJUSTABLE STRAP ENGAGING MEMBER SCREW THREADED INTO THE OTHER OF SAID MAIN BODY MEMBER RECESSES, SAID ADJUSTABLE STRAP ENGAGING MEMBER HAVING ITS FREE END OPERATIVE TO ENGAGE THE STRAP OF THE SHOE AT THE APEX OF THE LOOP. 